As Thailand embraces fast-food restaurants, blue jeans and Hollywood movies in its zeal to Westernize, its women are having their faces nipped and tucked to fit in. Though many say they are not seeking to look Western, the higher nose bridges and smaller, folded eyelids they are getting are distinctly European.
This type of cosmetic surgery has taken off in much of male-dominated Asia, where beauty is a must for many women who want to get ahead. From South Korea to the Philippines to Malaysia, women who can afford it are going under the knife in hopes of achieving the now-popular European concept of beauty.